Warday

By: Whitley Strieber, James Kunetka

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Five years after a "limited" nuclear war, two survivors journey across America. They - and you - will discover what is left of our way of life, the depth of the devastation, and the hopes of a new society desperately struggling to be born.

©1984 Walker & Collier (P)2015 David N. Wilson

Warday

Any additional comments?

This audiobook is an incredible fictional account of a nuclear attack makes for a compelling story.. The authors, as themselves, head across what's left of the U.S. after a one day nuclear war (hence the title), to interview different people and gather information. This is very realistic, and just a little bit scary. Excellent book

One of my favorite books!

I read this book in high school and hearing read in this format was just as good or better than before. The authors are excellent story tellers.

Written in the early 1980’s but strangely relevant

War Day is a post nuclear apocalypse written in the early 1980’s that I found strangely relevant in 2015. The premise of War Day is that there has been a nuclear war between the United States and the USSR (remember 1980’s). What is different about this war is it was very limited. Only a few areas of the USA are actually hit. No countries have nuclear hits other than the USA or USSR. Every country though feels the political and economic balance change drastically.

The two main characters, who are not fictional but place themselves in a fictional world, visit the different areas of the country. It contrasts the destitution and need of the areas that were close to the strikes with the areas that essential had no physical effects, no radiation at all. The story is told alternating between the main characters and the people they interview to assess the state of the union five years after War Day.

I read the book when it first came out. I bought the hard back, which four moves later is no longer in my library. I am very much a cold war child and have always been drawn to apocalyptic literature, especially post nuclear. Reading it before the collapse of the USSR and as a 24 year old, it was a great story. Reading it now in a post USSR world as a 52 year old is completely different. The difference comes down to the one “post” I haven’t mentioned: we live in a post 911 world.

I started reading the book simply because I remembered it as a good one and had an opportunity to review the audio version (This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.). As I was reading the book again in 2015 I found parallels to how we as a nation have changed. When the areas unaffected by War Day are discussed, the issue of individual rights vs public protection become very prominent. It really was fascinating to see how the authors saw their fictional world facing limiting personal rights and freedoms to protect what the government perceived as the greater good.

The audio narration is excellent. Mr. Pierce has a very nice voice. He speaks clearly and communicates the emotions the authors created. His narration is a performance. It does not sound as though he is just reading it. It sounds like he studied the book. learned its secrets and then passed them on to the listener. It really is a very good narration. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by Mr. Pierce. I would recommend War Day especially the audio book narrated by Mr. Pierce.

Where Will You be on Warday?

Where does Warday rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

John Lennon once said that nothing expands your mind more that books and travel. Some books you read for fun, some for learning. Some books are read as a pastime. This book has made me reflect on my life and current events more than any other audiobook I have read to date. Even though Warday was written around 1984, the lessons and level of crisis in the world is even higher today. Can we as humans find the similarities between our cultures and nations, and not let the difference divide us? Can we survive ourselves.

What did you like best about this story?

This story is very down to earth, has a nice flow, and is very believable. Beyond the story line, the background and description of events was very well researched. Beyond the hard facts of a nuclear holocaust, the human element is what really hits home.

What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Kevin Pierce is a pro with 200 audio narrations listed on Audible. I have listened to several of his audio books before and always found him to be very level and engaging, in an easy going way. I think Kevin has a way of putting you in the story, where you don't even realize you are listening to an audio book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Gosh, there were many. I think the wrap up at the end of the story which reflected upon the writer's journey through a post apocalypse USA, really hit home. We survive, we adapt, and hopefully, we learn.

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer: "This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com." I am a chronic reader and love good stories. I had heard of Whitley Strieber on a late night radio show and was really curious on his take on "Warday". Whitley has authored over 35 books, so I know he had a lot to offer. I had listened to several of Kevin Pierce's narrations before and knew this book was a winning combination. I was not disappointed. A number of us like the zombie and post apocalypse fantasy stories. Fun reads. "Warday" is different. This has reality written all over it. It puts you in the moment. With many not so comfortable moments. There are some hard hitting scenes which create some very strong and profound feelings. As a 12 hour audio book, I thought it would take a long time to "read". No, just the opposite. It was hard to put down. What makes this timely, is the level of turmoil in the world today. This scenario could happen tomorrow. That is what scares the hell out of me. So I would recommend this audio book for anyone who wants to have a more realistic view of the results of a limited nuclear war. It is not pretty. I recommend all military people and politcans read this audio book. It may be what keeps us from going to war.

An Interesting Story As A Warning From Our Past

Overall the story was fairly entertaining and an experience that everyone could benefit from reading. The scenarios are still valid and should awaken the reader to the gravity of nuclear war now more than ever! I pray that we wise up and never have to experience a nuclear war!